# Best cruise line for cigar smoking?



## cigarjak (Mar 17, 2010)

I will be booking my first cruise with my fiancee within the next couple of days for the first week in April! It will also be my first trip to the Caribbean!! Like many people, I have been fascinated with tropical islands ever since I can remember, but have never been to one! Needless to say, I am very excited!

The region will be either Eastern or Southern Caribbean.

Of course, cigar-friendly smoking policy is a top criteria. I have been researching the current state of cigar smoking on cruise lines...and it seems to be in a constant state of flux. There are "cigar bars" that all of the sudden don't permit cigar smoking. W...T...F??! Could there be anything _more_ ironic???

I wasn't surprised at all to discover a lot of Puffers enjoy cruises. What has been your experience? What cruise line would you recommend for the best cigar smoking experience? From other posts, it sounds like Royal Caribbean is the easy winner. Are all of its Connoisseur Cigar Clubs still green-lighted for smoking?


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## primetime76 (Feb 8, 2011)

cigarjak said:


> I will be booking my first cruise with my fiancee within the next couple of days for the first week in April! It will also be my first trip to the Caribbean!! Like many people, I have been fascinated with tropical islands ever since I can remember, but have never been to one! Needless to say, I am very excited!
> 
> The region will be either Eastern or Southern Caribbean.
> 
> ...


 My parents just got back from a cruise of the tropics...they went Norwegian and said that there were "cigar bars" that allowed cigar smoking.


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## joncaputo (Sep 29, 2008)

Great question..would love to hear more feedback on this as I am thinking about a cruise as well


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## Batista30 (Sep 13, 2010)

Freedom of the Seas - I believe there was a cigar lounge on it ( 2008 )


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

I put this thread out some time ago and it is helpful for those who want to take a cruise...this will give you some insight but remember before you book any cruise call the Cruiseline first to ensure that there is indeed places to smoke Cigars. It seems that the Cruiselines tend to change/bend/ or totally get rid of what was in place.

There are some great cigar bars onboard some of the CruiseLines which only enhances the entire experience of cruising as far as I'm concerned. The best CruiseLine I have ever been on was Cunard Queen Mary 2....what a cigar lounge..second to none.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-cigar-discussion/267937-smoking-cigars-cruises.html


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## baderjkbr (Jun 21, 2010)

Went on a cruise last June on the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore MD. You can smoke in the sports bar or the aft of the ship. The aft of the ship is very windy though. Even though its allowed people still make tons of comments about the smoke and smell. The crew members seem to enjoy cigars, because they always seem to seat near the cigar smokers. I only saw three guys smoking cigars the whole time. They sell cigars on the ship, but no real cigar bars and of course the prices are double or more. I hope you have a nice trip. One of the sites I used for info was cruisecritic.com forums. Some of the guys are cigar smokers.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

baderjkbr said:


> Went on a cruise last June on the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore MD. You can smoke in the sports bar or the aft of the ship. The aft of the ship is very windy though. Even though its allowed people still make tons of comments about the smoke and smell. The crew members seem to enjoy cigars, because they always seem to seat near the cigar smokers. I only saw three guys smoking cigars the whole time. They sell cigars on the ship, but no real cigar bars and of course the prices are double or more. I hope you have a nice trip. One of the sites I used for info was cruisecritic.com forums. Some of the guys are cigar smokers.


I enjoyed the PRIDE when we sailed on it...at that time they used an inside bar that was pretty big and after 9 pm it was a Cigar and Jazz Bar...great music and great place to have a cigar. As I said some Cruiselines are really cracking down on Cigars and only permit them on certain sides of the ship and it is outside...I hate outside smoking unless it is on my balcony. Here is another item....GET A BALCONY if you want to smoke your cigars in private and towards the back of ths ship because as we all know...smoke drifts backwards. Don't get a balcony at the front or midships or your neighbors are going to have a fit by either reporting you...or slamming their doors in the middle of the night or just making noise to get back at you.

My wife and I are retired so we can cruise anytime...remember that your best time to travel is between Sept. 10 and right before Christmas. We usually will cruise the week before and after Thanksgiving because the rates are so cheap it's insane. We booked a mini suite for the price of an inside cabin...and what a great cruise. Summer time cruises are the worse time to go because they don't have to give you deals...they charge full price with no credits. When we go on ours we usually get about $150 credit that we spend on Specialty Restaurants onboard...talk about some great meals. More ideas to come when I see others post up...

Of all the vacations I've ever taken and I've taken them all...cruises provide some amazing things. We are going in Sept. again and we've booked a private sail that lasts 6.5 hours for 6 people..my wife and I and her relatives will be on this and it's a 45foot sailboat. It starts out from St. Thomas and goes all around that island then to St. Johns and it stops for snorkel, private times at beaches...all food and drinks and wine...for $135 p/p and we'll use our credit for that excursion. This is one of those things you just don't usually do that creates a special memory...for the price for almost 7 hours you can't duplicate this experience anywhere.

Being creative and talking with those who have done this before is how you will save a ton of money on cruises. We've done Transatlantic cruises that were 17 nights in a mini suite for $5000 for both of us,,,that included A/F and everything. I've talked with those who have taken a 7 night regular cruise and spent $2500 just on booze...insane.


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## Johnny Rock (Jun 25, 2010)

What is important to my wife and me is the crowd expected on the cruise. Not only the amount of people on board, but the age groups as well. We, being the old farts that I am, prefer the small ships that attract the older crowds without a lot of children on board.

We've been on 4 cruises over the past 7 years and each time we chose Princess. They have everything we want. Great food, great cigar/piano & martini bars and great service. Great destinations and excursions. I've never had a problem lighting up a cigar in any of their smoking sections, indoors or outdoors. There has always 3 -4 different locations to smoke on ship. 

The next time we cruise it will be Princess again.


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## JustOneMoreStick (Sep 21, 2009)

Thanks all for the advice Please keep it coming I am trying to plan a trip also.


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

I have had good cigar experiences on Royal Caribbean. I think you'll want to focus on the Voyager Class (Voyager, Adventurer, Explorer, Mariner, Navigator) and the Freedom Class (Freedom, Liberty, Independence). They both have the Connoisseur Club on Deck 4 forward...good place to be on the ship and near other stuff. I've never heard of cigars being banned in that place and they actually have a cigar menu. Prices are high and on one cruise they were completely out of 95% of the cigars...they hadn't been restocked for a month. The other RCL ships don't have a cigar bar, you'll be relegated to top deck at night which can be rather cold and windy.

There are no cigars allowed in the bars and casino and technically there is no smoking on the balcony. This rule is NEVER enforced...ask your stateroom attendant for an ashtray for the balcony if there isn't one already. The attendant knows that if you're forbidden from smoking on the balcony that his tip will go overboard, so he'll make sure you're left alone. On the top deck of the ship, one side is smoking so be sure to look for that side before lighting up.

Incidentally a great site for reviews and knowledge is cruisecritic.com. Smoking is a hot topic over there, of course everybody hates it!


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

Johnny Rock said:


> What is important to my wife and me is the crowd expected on the cruise. Not only the amount of people on board, but the age groups as well. We, being the old farts that I am, prefer the small ships that attract the older crowds without a lot of children on board.
> 
> We've been on 4 cruises over the past 7 years and each time we chose Princess. They have everything we want. Great food, great cigar/piano & martini bars and great service. Great destinations and excursions. I've never had a problem lighting up a cigar in any of their smoking sections, indoors or outdoors. There has always 3 -4 different locations to smoke on ship.
> 
> The next time we cruise it will be Princess again.


I hear ya John...each Cruiseline offers their own "brand" of experience and size of ships.

Some Cruiselines just want to hold the title of "Larges Ship" but understand it comes with a price...they are too big go tender into the smaller ports so you end up either going to ports where you have to tender in by the Ships own smaller boats ( if it's a large ship it can take hours to get into the port because of so many people...you end up waiting on the ship in these huge lines when the boat is full...not worth it to me )

Carnival tends to cater to younger people and tons of kids who end up roaming around the ships at all hours of the night,,,running up and down the ailes waking you up at 2 am. I rarely sail on Carnival unless it's during slow periods and on the new ships.

Anything less than 110,000 tons is a good choice...you will get good service as the ships 120K and over are way too big and host about 4,000 people onboard...think about that...that's a lot of bodies to deal with.

We use Princess most of the time because we are Elite status,,,,that means you get tons of upgrades like rooms, Free Internet, Free Laundry and wine, champagne, etc.

I've been on every Cruiseline there is and IMO this is my choices as to who is best overall:

Cunard QM2
Oceania
Celebrity
Disney
HAL
Princess
RCCL
MSC
Carnival
Norweigan
Costa

Remember that a bad cruise line will leave a bad taste in your mouth for anything else...if you pick the wrong one based on your lifes talk to others first..have a list of things you have expectations for and those of us who sail a lot can help direct you to what is probably the best.

Some lines have exceptional food
Some have great cigar bars
Some have older cruisers and some have younger
Some are old ships that are refubished...but they still suck even if they 
were refurbed.
Some are not conducive to relaxing...they are noisy and smelly
Some are great for relaxing and have extras provided

There are slight differences in cabin classifications and don't pay for upgrades on different levels...it's a ploy to get more money.

Some balconys and ocean views are "obstructed" which means that there is a lifeboat in the way.

Most balconys are just as nice as a mini suite...the only difference is that a mini suite has a full bath and larger closet and about 50 sq. feet of room more.

If you are on a cruise just to relax get a balcony..if you are on a cruise to have fun where you'll only use the cabin to sleep and shower,,get an interior cabin. Ocean View is now worth the extra unless it's only a few dollars more.

There is a way to get better service...we do it all the time and works to perfection. In a few words...make your Cabin Steward your best friend.

Use the Specialty Restaurants at least twice...it's more than worth it. Having this meal is like eating out at a Ruth Chris or Emerils. The Main Dining Rooms are fun and decent enough but the real good food is in the Specialty Restaurants. Over the last decade the MDR's have gotten worse as far as good food is concerned...it has deteriorated.

As more ideas come up on here I'll post more.

If you are going to cruise more and more pick out a Cruise Line you like and try and stay with them because you will accrue points staying with them...we like Princess and we get so many upgrades its foolish for us to sail with any other Cruise Line.


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## cigarjak (Mar 17, 2010)

Wow! Very detailed guidance! I really appreciate the time and energy spent writing it. 

We are starting to lock in on a cruise with Norwegian. We will prob book sometime today. Has anyone cruised with them? Any input as to their stance on cigars? Experiences?


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## jswaykos (Oct 26, 2010)

Stay away from the Somalia.


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## primetime76 (Feb 8, 2011)

jswaykos said:


> Stay away from the Somalia.


UNLESS you are into the whole pirate, role laying "theater" kind of vacation. (just be sure to bring your own AK-47 because they will not supply them on board.)


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## jswaykos (Oct 26, 2010)

primetime76 said:


> UNLESS you are into the whole pirate, role laying "theater" kind of vacation. (just be sure to bring your own AK-47 because they will not supply them on board.)


OR... unless you, yourself, are a pirate! Arrrrghh!


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## krisko (Jul 28, 2007)

cigarjak said:


> We are starting to lock in on a cruise with Norwegian. We will prob book sometime today. Has anyone cruised with them? Any input as to their stance on cigars? Experiences?


I think you'll like NCL and I can't comment on the cigar policies. I highly recommend going to cruisecritic.com. You can pull up user reviews and 'pro' reviews on the actual NCL ship you are considering.

I agree with 90% of what Cigary says except some of his points with RCL (my preferred line). Their ships are huge but with each larger ship I try there is just more stuff yet not a larger crowd or wait anywhere. The Oasis class is the largest in the world, yet there is more public space per passenger than any other RCL ship. The cabins are tiny but I'm not in it for the cabin anyway. You do have to tender to islands a lot with the biggest ships but RCL has it down to a science...I've never waited 'hours' to get on or off the ship. More like 15 minutes at most.

Cigary is right, if you like crusing you'll do better if you stick with one line with a good rewards program. I can't speak to the other lines, but with RCL I get a bottle of wine and flowers in our room upon arrival. I get good discounts on suites and balcony rooms and we have a private bar for a couple of hours a day with free drinks. This is after only 5 cruises which ain't too shabby. In fact, if you go with NCL just join their program so you can get credit for this cruise and they'll probably give you a couple of perks as well.


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## dmgizzo (Dec 13, 2010)

Wife and I cruised with Sea Dream a couple years ago. Absolutely fantastic. We will never cruise any other way. As far as cigars, Humi stocked with a nice selection of CCs that could be smoked on any of the decks. Highly recommended although much different from any of the others being discussed here so your opinion may vary.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

krisko said:


> I think you'll like NCL and I can't comment on the cigar policies. I highly recommend going to cruisecritic.com. You can pull up user reviews and 'pro' reviews on the actual NCL ship you are considering.
> 
> *I agree with 90% of what Cigary says except some of his points with RCL (my preferred line). Their ships are huge but with each larger ship I try there is just more stuff yet not a larger crowd or wait anywhere. The Oasis class is the largest in the world, yet there is more public space per passenger than any other RCL ship. The cabins are tiny but I'm not in it for the cabin anyway. You do have to tender to islands a lot with the biggest ships but RCL has it down to a science...I've never waited 'hours' to get on or off the ship. More like 15 minutes at most.*
> 
> Cigary is right, if you like crusing you'll do better if you stick with one line with a good rewards program. I can't speak to the other lines, but with RCL I get a bottle of wine and flowers in our room upon arrival. I get good discounts on suites and balcony rooms and we have a private bar for a couple of hours a day with free drinks. This is after only 5 cruises which ain't too shabby. In fact, if you go with NCL just join their program so you can get credit for this cruise and they'll probably give you a couple of perks as well.


We probably need to understand that larger ships when filled to capacity ( which at times are around 4,000 people or a bit more ) create a problem when coming into ports of call. Initially the ship is big enough when at sea to accommodate this high number but when at port people like to get off the ship and that means there will be a wait time...people are standing in the stairwells towards the gangway waiting,,,and waiting...I've been on Freedom of the Seas when it was a full ship...trust me friends when you are wanting to get off the boat early when it first docks you are going to be in a line that snakes around the interior exits...it's not fun. Those who have tours that start in the early morning have to race down to the exits and get there early so they can make their tour and it's a PIA to get up at 7 am and then rush to the gangway to get off the ship at 8 am or whenever they open the gangway. Conversely if the ship is not at full accommodation then yes, it is much easier to get on and off the ship.

Timing is everything esp. when taking a cruise vacation. Summer cruises are typically full and that means more bodies occupying space...after Labor Day it gets better and one can really enjoy a cruise to it's maximum.

As far as NCL goes they do not have the best dining as I have been on a couple of their ships and our friends tell us the exact same thing. If food is not really important then I'm sure your cruise will be fine. Expectations are varied as far as what people really look for....some don't care about the size of the cabin while others want a balcony so they can indeed have their privacy when they want it. For those who may have issues with getting seasick I'd advise getting a cabin in the middle of the ship and getting the patches as well. Larger ships are better as you can barely feel the ship at all and most ships have stabilizers to ensure a smoother cruise.

Another good idea to to always bring your own Purell and Clorox tissues to clean off areas in your cabin...NoroVirus is NOT your friend. I've seen those who contracted it and their entire cruise was ruined...they were confined to their cabin for the entire cruise. We ate in the MDR mostly as the cafeterias tend to cause NoroVirus issues because people are actually touching the food..children reach into the bowls and touch anything within reach...some people will use the purell before coming into the cafeteria while others totally disregard it. If we don't eat in the MDR we eat at the Specialty Restaurants or we have room service brought in. Yes, we tend to be germaphobes only 
because we've seen first hand those who caught the Norovirus...it ain't pretty and you just lost your whole cruise and you don't get your money back.


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## Mo1775 (Feb 7, 2011)

In 2009 I went on a 10 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera with Carnival. Excellent vacation would do it again in a heartbeat. There were plenty of locations to smoke and no one seemed to mind as long as you were in the smoking areas. I met a few cigar smokers on the trip as well. We also had a balcony attached to our room which they had no problem if you wanted to smoke there either.


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## deep (Mar 13, 2009)

Cigary,

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of taking a cruise this summer but based on what you say summer is not a good time to cruise. The tip on booking a room at the back of the boat so you can smoke off the balcony is great idea.

Any line/ships better for a southern carribaen cruise? It would for couples maily to relax and better food would be a plus. Thanks!


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## kelvin b (Nov 14, 2010)

Alot of great info here. here is my experience;

Royal Caribbean Liberty of The Seas 2008 
nice, quiet cigar lounge secluded from the hustle and bustle of the other 4000 people on board. Every evening there was a decent crowd mostly cigar, some cigarettes and half were noobies. during the day it was completely empty and i found myself enjoying the silence. Heres a pic...cruisesavvy.com/pictures/pj/2008/cigar_bar

Carnival Freedom 2009
The so called cigar lounge was a wide open lounge centrally located in the middle of the ship. Conveniently located by the casino, it was also the location of a live Latin band half the week and then a jazz band the rest of the week. Due to the entertainment it attracted smokers and non-smokers alike. It did however have a nice bar with table service and was great for people watching. (if thats your thing.)Heres a pic....traveltimereviews.com/75/carnival-freedom


Cheers


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Cigary said:


> We probably need to understand that larger ships when filled to capacity ( which at times are around 4,000 people or a bit more ) create a problem when coming into ports of call. Initially the ship is big enough when at sea to accommodate this high number but when at port people like to get off the ship and that means there will be a wait time...people are standing in the stairwells towards the gangway waiting,,,and waiting...I've been on Freedom of the Seas when it was a full ship...trust me friends when you are wanting to get off the boat early when it first docks you are going to be in a line that snakes around the interior exits...it's not fun. Those who have tours that start in the early morning have to race down to the exits and get there early so they can make their tour and it's a PIA to get up at 7 am and then rush to the gangway to get off the ship at 8 am or whenever they open the gangway. Conversely if the ship is not at full accommodation then yes, it is much easier to get on and off the ship.
> 
> Timing is everything esp. when taking a cruise vacation. Summer cruises are typically full and that means more bodies occupying space...after Labor Day it gets better and one can really enjoy a cruise to it's maximum.
> 
> ...


Another brilliant post on a subject that is dificult to say the least!
Thank you my brother!:rockon:


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

deep said:


> Cigary,
> 
> Thanks for the info. I was thinking of taking a cruise this summer but based on what you say summer is not a good time to cruise. The tip on booking a room at the back of the boat so you can smoke off the balcony is great idea.
> *Summer cruises are notoriously high...it's because that is when most people vacation and they know they can squeeze every dollar from the paying public. After Labor Day you can see that pricing gets better,,,much better and it's even better before Holidays and after. We try and book most of our cruises before or after Thanksgiving....or before Christmas as we got a suite on Princess for $1500...for both of us and we got a $100 credit to spend where we wanted to....Specialty Restaurants are the best way to go IMO. *
> ...


*Ahhhh,,,,the S. Caribbean is the best as far as I'm concerned. Celebrity tends to have the best food if that is one of your concerns...here is a list of what I think is the best as I have been on all of them.*

*1. Celebrity Summit----food is amazing and the islands are pretty good*

*2. Holland America----food is equally as good and the ports are better but the reason I pick it as #2 is because the age of the passengers is 50 and above..so if you aren't too picky as far as your passengers go...this could be #1.*

*3. Princess----food is good in the MDR but their Specialty Restaurants are very good...we eat there at least 2 to 3 times and just forget the MDR. The islands they go to are a bit better...*

*4. RCCL----the food is ok and the pick of islands are just as good as the rest.*



kelvin b said:


> Alot of great info here. here is my experience;
> 
> Royal Caribbean Liberty of The Seas 2008
> nice, quiet cigar lounge secluded from the hustle and bustle of the other 4000 people on board. Every evening there was a decent crowd mostly cigar, some cigarettes and half were noobies. during the day it was completely empty and i found myself enjoying the silence. Heres a pic...cruisesavvy.com/pictures/pj/2008/cigar_bar
> ...


*One thing about cruising is that you can tailor your own specific cruise as to what you want or like. For a first time cruiser it's easy to be overwhelmed and get discouraged unless you ask questions first...pick peoples brains and experience as each ship provides different things for people. Cabins are important as far as what they provide...if you are picky like we are balconys / suites are a must because they provide a full bath and tub,,,,huge closets and better service as we can eat off the MDR menu and eat in our cabin. Other cabins will not let you use the MDR menu and you only get a small menu to choose from. We stay in our cabin and have steak and lobster ( I usually eat 3 lobster tails and 2 steaks ) so we don't have to bring a ton of clothes to change into at night...we eat when we want to and usually have dinner on our balcony...talk about ambiance and romance.*

*Food is important to us as well....Celebrity and HAL is IMO the best.*

*Cigar Lounges....you have to pick who has the best as smoking policy tends to change these days on every ship...so call before booking.*

*Size of Ship.....ships that are around 70K ton usually can get you into ports very easily and you don't have to worry about tendering into the ports...a PIA as far as I'm concerned as I'd rather walk off the ship and start our tours. Not to say that the larger ships aren't great,,,they are. We've been on the Golden, Ruby, Star, Grand ( Princess ) and these are beautiful Ships...tons of room and easy to get around. Most cruise ships have their dining and buffets in the aft part of the boat so get a cabin near the aft ( great for cigar smoking ) because you will find that you don't have to run around as much...I hate the forward part of the ship because you are always having to walk all the way back to the aft end for meals and the pools...the best pools are in the aft where it is mostly for adults.*


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> Another brilliant post on a subject that is dificult to say the least!
> Thank you my brother!:rockon:


We still need to get your feet wet Tony and take one of those short cruises from your neck of the woods...lots of cruises out of NJ to Bermuda...oh buddy is that a great cruise! Pink sand and nearly nude beaches..worth the price of admission.


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